I always enjoyed watching the ocean.

Stretching as far as my eyes could see. The rolling waves, the shifting tones depending on the sky—there was a kind of beauty in it that vast expanses of open water could create.

Even the scent of salt and the faint, briny freshness of the sea breeze made me nostalgic. And now, flying at top speed over it, wind hitting my body, nothing but endless blue below me, it feels… it feels nice.

"Should we start?"

I smile. "Sure."

I drop lower, skimming just above the surface, unsheathing one of my blades. Its edge barely touches the water, tracing a thin, shimmering line as I move.

Then, it hits me. That slightly familiar surge—my mind sharpening, my body feeling lighter, faster. Lukas' link.

It's subtle, almost indistinguishable from my own instincts. I can't detect the waves he sends out, but the effect is clearly there.

Two of his three full links are active on me. One amplifies the Pillar's effects by 14%, the other enhances my physical state and senses by 16%. Lukas says these numbers will increase the more he refines his power—and, more intriguingly, the more he understands whatever unique elements he sees in each of us.

I push Overdrive, stacking the enhancements. My awareness sharpens.

But nothing stirs.

Maybe just dragging my sword isn't enough.

"I'm going in."

I get confirmation and dive.

The moment I hit the surface, it's like slamming into a wall. A violent shock of cold engulfs me, my momentum sending me deep in an instant. The sudden shift from tearing through the air to cutting through dense water tightens around me, pressure building fast. Bubbles stream past, ripped from my body by the sheer force of impact.

The surface distorts above, already far away, a churn of scattered light and rippling currents. I adjust, slowing my descent, the weight of the ocean settling over me. My senses flare, reaching beyond the shifting water, searching for movement in the depths.

Where are you?

My waves scout around, but they're muffled by the ocean, their range far more limited than they should be. Is it the water itself? Or something else? Could it be related to that uniform field covering the entire stage?

Back then, I thought it was just because of the boss, but it seemed to persist even outside of that encounter.

I keep swimming, staying near the surface. Closing my eyes, I let my other senses take over, searching for any subtle motion, any irregularity in the flow of water.

But I know these creatures—Abyss Maws, as the others call them now—are tricky to react to. It was the same last time with Imani. It appeared out of nowhere, no distortions whatsoever, despite their massive bodies. But that makes no sense. A creature of that size has to displace a lot of water to move. I should be able to detect it miles away through sound alone.

Then what does it do? Does it interfere with our perception? Our senses? Like Chiara's technique? If it could do that, why not use it all the time? With that kind of ability, it should've taken us all down back then. So… why only underwater?

The thoughts churn in my mind as time passes. Still no movement.

Do I have to go deeper? Last time, I did. But… I'd rather not.

Lukas' effective range is 534 meters. Any farther, and the link breaks. I can't stray too far.

I steady my mind and keep advancing, my movements sluggish in the water—far less pleasant than flying through the air. Less freedom. Less speed. Less flexibility.

I'll go 20 meters more.

I dive lower, but before I even reach the mark, I feel it.

It's here.

I push Overdrive beyond full-state, my senses flaring as I shoot upward.

A tentacle slashes at me.

I can't evade in time.

I cross my swords and tendrils and bring them forward to block, sending a burst of waves to push myself back.

The impact hits. Crushing pressure bears down on my arms, pain flaring instantly—I might have broken a few bones.

But the force sends me flying out of the water, just as I angled for.

I'm free again.

But my arms hurt.

Just like last time.

Then I feel it.

Lukas is healing me.

I grin.

This ability is incredibly convenient.

I stay low, hovering just above the surface, baiting it to come out.

And sure enough, it does.

Spikes fly my way, but I dodge with small, almost casual movements in mid air.

"Let's start."

Lukas' command runs in.

The link is still active on me. I rush toward it, swords in hand, weaving through a barrage of spikes.

I reach its grotesque surface—slick, rubbery flesh beneath my feet, its many eyes twitching in erratic patterns.

The stench of rotten fish and something far worse hits me like a wall, thick and putrid, clinging to the back of my throat.

I don't linger. My swords carve into it, each slash trailing streams of dark, murky blood through the air. The flesh resists, then gives way, splitting open beneath the sharp edges. The creature thrashes, but its attacks are slow, telegraphed. The spikes fly, but the pattern is predictable. It rears, its maw widening—preparing to shriek.

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I move out.

The moment I clear the range, Lukas' link fades. He's empowering the others now.

Chiara's and Arjun's bullets rain down an instant later, each shot tearing through its massive frame. The firepower is beyond their usual limit.

The shriek finally comes, a deep, reverberating howl that distorts the air around it, but it does little.

The assault doesn't stop.

I dive back in, feeling Lukas' link reconnect the instant I do.

The air whips past as I descend at full force, water exploding upward as I crash back onto its body, swords leading the way.

My blades dig deep, carving through layers of thick muscle and sinew. A wave of warm, viscous blood splashes over me, soaking my arms and chest, mixing with the saltwater already clinging to my skin.

The creature spasms violently beneath me, its tentacles lashing out in chaotic desperation. I twist, cutting through one mid-swing—the severed limb convulses as it falls away, leaking dark ichor. The smell intensifies, a gut-wrenching mix of decay and raw, exposed flesh.

The water surges as the beast writhes, currents pulling at me. My grip tightens on the hilts of my swords, fingers slick with gore. I adjust, shifting my weight, keeping my stance solid even as the thrashing grows more frantic.

The moment it slows, I strike again—a dozen cuts in the span of a second. Flesh peels, eyes burst, blood pours. The water churns around us, thick with death.

It's gonna shriek again.

But I know the pattern. It's going underwater after this one.

I shake my head and push Overdrive even higher.

There's no need for a second round.

My body accelerates. The world slows as its maw opens, rows of jagged teeth glistening in the dim light.

I move across its surface faster and faster, hacking and slashing at everything in sight.

The others are firing too, their shots aimed at the remaining eyes.

It's about to shriek, but I shield my mind from EM waves and block my sense of hearing. It'll still rupture my eardrums, but that's fine. Lukas can heal it.

A fraction of a second later, I feel the wail—not through sound, but through the tremor in the air.

The wave stuns me slightly, but only for a moment. I keep cutting it down.

The creature writhes, desperate to dive, but its body is already failing. Arjun's shots take out the last of its eyes.

And then it comes.

The final, desperate attack.

Last time, it nearly killed me.

Let's see what it can do now.

I create some distance but stay in its line of sight, keeping it from targeting the others.

And it releases it.

Every spike, every jagged tooth—it all comes for me.

I bring my swords forward and take a deep breath, pushing Overdrive to the limits.

The world explodes around me.

A storm of projectiles fills my vision.

Instinct takes over.

My body moves—faster than thought, faster than reason—swords flashing as I deflect the first wave. The force sends me flying back through the air, but I twist, adjusting mid-flight, cutting down the next set before they can reach me.

Everything is pure reaction. No hesitation. No second-guessing.

And yet…

Something shifts.

I see it.

Not just the spikes. Not just the attack.

Everything.

Lines—traces—vectors of motion appear before me, stretching across the space between us. Faint, shifting virtual images of where the projectiles will be.

I don't process them. I don't analyze them.

I just move.

My body responds like it already knows the outcome. My swords snap into place, not where the attacks are but where they will be.

Deflections become effortless. Dodges become instinct.

I'm not reacting anymore.

I'm ahead of it.

I… I can see it all.

The spikes keep coming, hammering against my blades, rattling my arms with the sheer force.

Each impact shoves me further back through the air, but I keep adjusting, twisting, redirecting. The world slows, every motion traced before it even happens.

The creature roars below, thrashing, desperate.

It doesn't matter.

I see its next move before it makes it.

A vector of its attack flickers in my vision—spikes shifting course, aiming not just at me but where I should be. It's adjusting. Trying to predict me.

But it's too slow.

I shift midair, breaking from its expectation, cutting through its final desperate barrage like I've done this a thousand times before.

A breath.

A step forward.

My swords rise.

My swords fall.

Blood splatters across my wet armor.

The creature dies.

I stand there, mid-air, staring at the empty space in front of me as I lower Overdrive.

That feeling.

I've had it before—several times, fleeting, just out of reach. A whisper at the edge of my senses, a sensation I could never quite hold onto. But now… now it felt different.

Like something inside me finally clicked into place.

Like I wasn't just reacting—I was ahead of it. Like I had stepped into a space where movement, intention, and outcome blurred together into a single, seamless flow.

Like I finally grasped something that had always been there, waiting.

I exhale, my mind still reeling, my body still pulsing with the rapid beat of my heart.

I notice Chiara moving forward to collect the red orbs the creature had actually dropped.

Then it hits me.

Danger.

"Another one!"

I push Overdrive to the limit again, rushing forward.

And then I sense it.

A tentacle surging out of the water, aimed straight at Chiara.

I see the current outcome. It will hit her.

I propel myself as fast as I can, but just as I move, I feel one of Lukas' links leaving me. It connects to Chiara.

She reacts instantly, launching herself back at the last moment, just barely escaping the tentacle's range. The force of the wind and water splashing up sends her flying farther, but she's unharmed.

I glance down. Another one.

"Alonso, the orbs!"

I search below and barely spot them—already sinking in the water.

The other Abyss Maw is close, but I dive.

Tentacles lash out, but I weave through them—the pattern obvious, the movements sluggish and telegraphed.

Spikes fly toward me, but they're nothing.

I break the surface, water splashing, sweeping all the orbs into my hands and tendrils, stuffing them into the bag at my waist before launching myself back into the air.

I reach Lukas and the others.

Wang is still piggybacking him, but we've already made enough jokes about it.

"Shall we take this one too?"

"No. If one came, more should be on the way. Let's move to another area far away and hunt another one there."

Fair.

I nod, and we start moving elsewhere.

The hunt continued, and soon, we had 21 red orbs in our hands.

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